Advantage Bayern Munich After 3-0 Victory Over Rivals Bayer Leverkusen

Bayern Munich has finally defeated Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen and taken a big lead into the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 clash against its biggest Bundesliga rivals. In front of 75,000 fans at the sold-out Allianz Arena, Bayern beat Leverkusen 3-0 thanks to goals by Harry Kane (9’ & 75’) and Jamal Musiala (54’).

It was Bayern’s first victory over Leverkusen since Sep. 29, 2022, when they defeated the Werkself 4-0. That same season, Leverkusen replaced Gerardo Seoane with Spanish head coach Alonso, and since then Leverkusen has beaten Bayern three times and held on to three draws.

“Leverkusen are our closest rivals here in Germany,” Harry Kane said to the media after the game. “I think this was only their fifth loss in two years. We had many tough battles recently. We know that the second leg won’t be easy. They will come into the game with the belief that they can turn it around.”

Kane, of course, was one of the main reasons for Bayern’s big win in Munich on Wednesday. The English striker has been deadly efficient this season from the spot but has at times struggled to make an impact from open play. That wasn’t the case today. Not only did he score the all-important opener, but he was also influential on the pitch in what was perhaps his best performance in a Bayern uniform.

The Englishman wasn’t the only Bayern player to stand out today. Michael Olise once again highlighted that he might be one of the best pickups on last summer’s transfer market. The French national team player delivered a perfect cross ahead of Kane’s opening goal and has now scored 13 goals and 13 assists in 37 games across all competitions.

Then there is Jamal Musiala. The Bayern Munich playmaker has been criticized for not coming up in big moments for Bayern over the last two seasons. But in a game in which he was pitted against the other best German player of his generation, Florian Wirtz, Musiala was excellent.

Indeed, it is likely that Musiala was spurred on by comments made by former Bayern Munich great Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, who called Wirtz the best German player in an interview with a Munich-based tabloid.

“I haven’t seen that,” Musiala said when asked about the interview. “Everyone has their own opinion. For me, the focus is only on doing my job, making steps forward and doing my best on the pitch.” But is it a coincidence that Musiala stepped up on the night his friend Wirtz struggled? Probably not.

Musiala was also not convinced that this tie with Leverkusen is over. “It was a good game from everyone,” Musiala said. “We’re happy but we know it’s not done yet. We have to bring the same intensity and hunger onto the pitch in the second leg. It won’t be easy. We made a good step, but it’s not over.”

Bayern head coach Vincent Kompany agreed. “It’s only the first half; we remain totally focused on the second leg,” Kompany said. “It was the season’s most important game so far, but hopefully, we’ll get more important games. We’re staying calm as we always did, and we’ve shown that we’re always ready.”

The Bayern boss is right to be cautious. After all, Leverkusen has not only been unbeaten in seven games against Bayern going into this fixture, but Die Werkself has also demonstrated in the past that they can inflict heavy damage on the Rekordmeister. Last season, Leverkusen beat Bayern at home 3-0 on its way to the first Bundesliga title.

“It was important to take an advantage over Leverkusen,” Konrad Laimer said. “It’s always two games to decide the tie. The advantage doesn’t change anything, though.” What does that mean for the return fixture? “We must go into that game the same way, and if we produce that intensity and energy, then we’re an excellent team who can and wants to win every game. We’ll take that into the games coming up.”

Undoubtedly, the Bayern players are correct in saying this isn’t over. However, after reading the statements, it feels hard to imagine that Leverkusen will find a way to overcome what is a significant deficit. Indeed, there has been a sense that Bayern is a bit of a redemption tour after being humiliated by Leverkusen last season.

Furthermore, there was also a sense that Bayern’s Bundesliga title would be meaningless if Leverkusen, after already knocking them out in the DFB Pokal, would have also knocked them out in the Champions League. That danger has now been minimized, even if the Bayern players still have a job to do next week at the BayArena.